South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has released two new bills on Friday in line with the annual celebration of the March for Life in Washington, D.C. out of her commitment to have "the strongest pro life laws on the books."
The two new bills, as per the official statement released by the state, is a follow through of efforts Noem undertook the previous year as a result of the Texas Heartbeat Act or Senate Bill 8 being implemented in September and as anticipation of the United States Food and Drug Administration's policy on abortion pills.
Specifically, the said draft bills are entitled "Prohibiting Abortion After Detection of Fetal Heartbeat," which "bans abortions once a child's heartbeat can be detected;" and "Prohibiting Medical Abortions Through Telemedicine," which "ban telemedicine abortions in South Dakota."
Christianity Daily reported that Noem was emboldened by the pro-life victory brought by the Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans abortions on six weeks of pregnancies and beyond after a fetal heartbeat has been detected. She then instructed her Unborn Child Advocate to study SB8 to see how they can apply it in South Dakota. Noem then banned telemedicine in South Dakota a week later through Executive Order 2021-12 due to President Joe Biden pushing a "war" against the unborn through "telemedicine abortions."
"The Biden Administration is continuing to overstep its authority and suppress legislatures that are standing up for the unborn to pass strong pro-life laws. They are working right now to make it easier to end the life of an unborn child via telemedicine abortion. That is not going to happen in South Dakota. I will continue working with the legislature and my Unborn Child Advocate to ensure that South Dakota remains a strong pro-life state," Noem said last September.
In the statement released last week, Noem reiterated her strong stand for the sanctity of life and cited the need for the unborn to be treated equally with the rest of humanity by respecting its "right to live." Noem also expressed hopes that the two new bills would protect both mother and child and that Roe v. Wade would be overturned this year.
"Every human life is unique and beautiful from the moment it is conceived. Every life is worthy of our protection, worthy of the right to live. We hope that this year's March for Life will be the last and that the Supreme Court will finally protect every unborn life. But until that comes to pass, these bills will ensure that both unborn children and their mothers are protected in South Dakota," Noem stressed.
Noem previously announced that "In South Dakota, we protect life," citing that "LIFE came first" when "Thomas Jefferson declared all man are endowed with the 'right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'" She revealed that this is the very reason why they "took great strides toward protecting those lives" in South Dakota.
During the state of the state address last January 11, Noem disclosed that abortions have already declined by "more than 80% over the last decade" in South Dakota based on 2020 data. The decline is said to be due to legislators who have proven that abortion is not a "divisive issue" since they were able to take bipartisan efforts to protect life such as those "unborn children with Down Syndrome." South Dakota has also passed in February last year a law protecting babies who survived abortions.
"I look forward to the day when all unborn lives are protected. The Supreme Court has a historic opportunity to make that a reality. As soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned, our state laws are ready to protect every unborn South Dakota child. But until then, we can take steps to protect South Dakota children, today," the Governor declared.
The Susan B. Anthony List, one of the United States biggest pro-life network, have called Noem as one of the "champions" of the pro-life movement during a virtual press conference held last January 19 as preparation for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
During the said conference, Noem disclosed that they have a backup plan should the United States Supreme Court not overturn Roe v. Wade, which is through a lawsuit she personally filed in line with it since she "wanted to be the most pro-life governor elected."
